Just like the the diverse four
Palestinians and four Israelis on the historic "Breaking The Ice" expedition
in the driving Antarctic snow and wind, each of us will have different emotions
learning they have reached the mountain's peak and named it.

Their Summit Statement:

"We,
the members of Breaking the Ice, the Israeli-Palestinian expedition to
Antarctica, having reached the conclusion of a long journey by land and sea
from our homes in the Middle East to the southernmost reaches of the earth, now
stand atop this unnamed mountain. By reaching its summit we have proven that
Palestinians and Israelis can cooperate with one another with mutual respect
and trust. Despite the deep differences that exist between us, we have shown
that we can carry on a sincere and meaningful dialogue. We join together in
rejecting the use of violence in the solution of our problems and hereby
declare that our peoples can and deserve to live together in peace and
friendship. In expression of these beliefs and desires we hereby name this
mountain The Mountain of Israeli-Palestinian Friendship."

Fifteen days after departing from Puerto Williams, Chile on the ocean-going
yacht Pelagic Australis and after a one-day delay due to bad weather, the
members of the Israeli-Palestinian Antarctic peace expedition known as Breaking
the Ice achieved their objective, scaling the summit of an unclimbed mountain
near Prospect Point on the Antarctic Peninsula and dedicating their efforts to
peace.

High winds and driving snow welcomed the expedition team members Thursday
morning, as they awakened at their high camp on the morning of the intended
summit assault. The Israeli expedition leader, Doron Erel, and lead mountain
guide Denis Ducroz from Chamonix, France, debated the wisdom of setting out on
the projected route, which would take the inexperienced Israeli and Palestinian
mountaineers within feet of yawning crevasses. After almost an hour, the green
light was finally given. The expedition would go for the summit.

With crampons attached to their boots and ice axes in hand, the team members
ascended slowly along the icy slopes of a glacier that leads up to the sheer
rock faces of the mountain, itself. In a gesture that was only coincidentally
symbolic, they were roped together in mixed groups of four: these Israelis and
Palestinians would literally be taking responsibility for one anothers lives.

Navigating in and above the clouds in near-zero visibility made finding the
summit difficult and led to several impromptu changes in the route. But,
finally, at 4pm, after four and half hours of climbing, on the fourth day of
their ascent and more than 13,000 kilometers from their homes in the Middle
East, they stood on a spot approximately 1000 meters above sea level, treading
on pristine snow where no one has ever stood before.

At the summit, Heskel Nathaniel, the expatriate Israeli businessman who
conceived the idea for Breaking the Ice, read a proclamation drafted by the
entire expedition team. It expressed their belief that Israelis and
Palestinians must resolve their deep differences without resorting to violence
and went on to cite the personal experience of coexistence and cooperation they
had gained during their journey together. Heskel then announced teams decision
reached after days of heated debate to call the peak, The Mountain of
Israeli-Palestinian Friendship.

The name may lack the dazzle of these media savvy times, but it does seem to
reflect the experience shared by the members of the expedition total strangers
who have learned to live and work and even laugh together and who have decided
to supplant the failed search for political agreement among Israelis and
Palestinians with a more personal approach to peace making.

The ceremonies at the summit were informal and varied. The three Palestinian
men in the expedition team knelt in Muslim prayer. The Israelis opened a bottle
of champagne for everyone. Palestinian team member Ziad Darwish was moved to
tears. This moment is so beautiful, he said, seeing Israelis and Palestinians
doing this kind of thing together. Yet, it also makes me think of all the
horrible things were doing to one another back home.

The Israeli expedition leader Doron Erel, who has been to the summit of Mt.
Everest: The point is that Israelis and Palestinians have done something unique
together, something that required the kind of cooperation and involvement that
you rarely if ever find among us. I cant tell you how pleased I am about how
well weve all gotten along together and how well everyone performed. No one
thinks that were going to bring peace by climbing mountains, but everyone
should know what we as Israelis and Palestinians are capable of doing when we
set our minds to it. Thats what I hope that both our peoples will be thinking
when they hear about what weve done.

That, says Erel, is the impression the members of Breaking the Ice want to
leave on their fellow Israelis and Palestinians: like climbing mountains,
making peace requires a deep personal commitment. These Israelis and
Palestinians were willing to go all the way to Antarctica to drive that message
home.

Again, The Summit Statement:

We, the members of Breaking the Ice, the Israeli-Palestinian expedition to
Antarctica, having reached the conclusion of a long journey by land and sea
from our homes in the Middle East to the southernmost reaches of the earth, now
stand atop this unnamed mountain. By reaching its summit we have proven that
Palestinians and Israelis can cooperate with one another with mutual respect
and trust. Despite the deep differences that exist between us, we have shown that
we can carry on a sincere and meaningful dialogue. We join together in
rejecting the use of violence in the solution of our problems and hereby
declare that our peoples can and deserve to live together in peace and
friendship. In expression of these beliefs and desires we hereby name this
mountain The Mountain of Israeli-Palestinian Friendship.